Women's Volleyball | 10/12/2016 2:52:00 PM
Stephen F. Austin:
Live Stats |
Video
Sam Houston State:
Live Stats |
Video
ABILENE - Abilene Christian volleyball returns home to Moody Coliseum where it is 3-0 this season to play host to Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State Thursday night and Saturday afternoon. Start times are 6:30 and 1 p.m.
Fans can watch both matches
online via Stretch Internet with
Seth Wilson (Thursday) and
Mary Kate Rotenberry (Saturday) splitting time in the announcer's chair.
The Wildcats (5-17, 4-3 Southland) went 2-0 on their last homestand following consecutive 3-1 wins over New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana, and will have to do the same again this weekend in order to keep pace with the Southland leaders after going 1-2 on a recent road trip.
ACU posted a sweep of Nicholls last Saturday, but was thwarted by both McNeese and Houston in a pair of sweeps in which five of the six sets were decided by two points. The Cowgirls beat the Wildcats in each of their three games by the same score of 25-23, and the Huskies held on to top ACU, 25-21, 26-24, 25-23.
Based on recent series history, there's no reason to think each of these next two home matches won't be just as dramatic. ACU defeated Sam Houston State in a wild five-set contest last season at Moody Coliseum for its first win over the Bearkats since joining the Southland Conference. Sam Houston embarrassed the Wildcats 25-13 in the first set, but then lost three of the next four games by scores of 25-20, 25-27, 28-26 and 15-12.
And even though Stephen F. Austin is 5-0 vs. ACU since 2013, the Wildcats went up on the Ladyjacks in both of last season's matches. ACU won the first two sets vs. SFA at Moody last season before falling in five games, 25-19, 25-22, 22-25, 22-25, 11-15, and a month later, the Ladyjacks rallied from a set down to win 26-24,21-25,13-25,17-25.
The Wildcats enter this week in sixth place in the Southland Conference, 2.5 games behind 6-0 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and 1.5 back of second-place SFA (12-7) and Houston Baptist. Sam Houston (9-10) meanwhile sits a half game behind the Wildcats at 3-3 and recently had a three-match winning streak snapped by the Islanders. Corpus Christi also is responsible for SFA's lone conference defeat.
ACU won most of the statistical categories vs. McNeese, Nicholls and HBU despite finishing their road trip 1-2. The Wildcats collectively hit better than their opposition, .212 to .196, with 13.11 kills per set led by sophomore outside hitter
Jacey Smith (3.78 k/s, .247%), and they also recorded more assists (115), aces (19), digs (144) and blocks (22).
Middle blockers
Lauren Walker (.265) and
Lexi Mercier (.351) also hit the ball quite well this past weekend, and on defense, freshman libero
Amanda Chapa dug out 5.67 attacks per set, which helped her receive honorable mention for Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Chapa currently ranks fourth in the Southland with 4.40 digs per set, while Walker (1.15) and Mercier (1.08) rank third and fifth, respecitvely, in blocks.
Smith is holding on to 10th place in kills with a 2.67 per set average, and with six aces this past weekend, setter
Kendall Bosse moved into the Southland's top-10 leaderboard in both aces (0.30) and assists (7.09).
